Mindfulness equips us for these moments. It’s compassion and love that connect us all. It’s wisdom that calls us to practice mindfulness, to wrestle with our inner demons so that, to the best of our ability, we may embody equanimity in the face of difficulty. That can feel like a tall order in the midst of chaos, confusion, and competing narratives. But one thing that’s been revealed over the last few months is the reality of our interconnectedness....

Few people know better about how expectant moms, their partners, and their families feel about birth than Nancy Bardacke. A longtime nurse-midwife and mindfulness meditation teacher, Bardacke decided to merge childbirth education with mindfulness practice after attending a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) training retreat for health professionals led by Jon Kabat-Zinn several decades ago. In 1998, she gave birth to the Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting (MBCP) program, and in 2012 her book Mindful Birthing: Training the Mind, Body and Heart for Childbirth and Beyond was published....

Living in the moment is often a challenge, even for those who practice mindfulness regularly. In this animation from School of Life, Alain de Botton shares four ways you can reconnect with the present experience. 1. Recognize you may not always feel how you’re meant to—and that’s ok. De Botton explains that life is full of moments where we are expected to feel certain things towards certain situations. On birthdays, we’re meant to feel happy....

Our Long-Distance Relationship Gift Ideas Kit is sure to create special memories, even though you’re far apart. Put together with our best long-distance relationship gifts and send them off in a care package! Fill a box with all of your sweetie’s favorite things, add a long-distance relationship date in a box, and use the long-distance relationship gift ideas as a sweet reminder of your strong relationship. We are MORE than excited to share it with you!...

Indeed, this mama raccoon, her teats distended and red, clearly ravenous after days of nursing her babies, had the audacity to forage side by side with the cats in view of us people. I imagined her exhausted, starving. Challenged to survive, she had felt compelled to leave her cubs in their nest in the shed of some overgrown yard and, without the protection of night, to brave this territory. Now, seemingly oblivious to the cats, she moved from bowl to bowl....